Dan Tapper: Food and drink writer and self-taught brewer who launched The Beak nano-brewery three years ago, creating small batches of unfiltered, unpasteurised beers

With fantastic food on offer from market traders and a delectable cocktail created by Tony Conigliaro’s team, the talk provided us with all there is to know about drinks. We’ve put together the key take-outs from the session so you’re in the know, too:

Spirits

We are in a golden age for spirits at the moment with a vast array available

Multiple distillery openings are happening every week with new brewing techniques

Increasing willingness from consumers to try new spirits

Flavour is a key factor

Craft Beer

Large companies are hooking onto this from a marketing perspective when they aren’t ‘craft’ at all

Genuine craft products are; small, independent, have authenticity and are not prepared to put profit before quality

The three leading breweries on app ‘UnTapped’ have:

Adept and buoyant pale ales

Interaction with customers

Breweries on-site which help with profit margin

More beers are being increasingly developed specifically to partner with food

The UK has more breweries per capita than anywhere else in the world

Wine

We are seeing a movement towards artisan wines, specifically from South Africa and Australia

Wine production is moving towards a natural way with minimal intervention

The UK market is increasingly polarised between the mass markets and the £10 a bottle sector

Consumers are keen to understand more about the wine and the story

More preference for premium and focused wines

It’s a great time at the moment for English sparkling wine

Cocktails

Tony Conigliaro bases his cocktails on his own stories, of which he then builds the flavour profile on

The London cocktail scene is the most diverse and interesting in the world

A good and interesting drink provides a talking point in any bar

London is full of people from all over the world creating drinks with a variety of global inspiration

Small Brands

Create a product that will cut through without being contrived i.e. not a gin with just another botanical

Be switched on and creative with social media – it allows direct interaction with consumers